Ice
by lizzle333
Summary: Matthew, one of the star hockey players for his high school, has the State Championship's coming up against their worst rival. However, when he meets a certain French figure skater his world is turned upside down. Not only does he now have problems with his love life, the threat of losing the hockey game is looming over him.


The sound of skates slicing through the ice rang throughout the ice rink as I raced forward, one on one with the defender, puck at my stick. I faked right, pulled the puck back left as the defender went to my right. In a split second I fired the puck in the upper left hand corner, scoring a goal. I skated to a stop past the goal as my coach said "Alright everyone. Good work, practice is over for today." Everyone skated of the ice in a quick frenzy. Coach had been working us especially hard since the biggest game of the season was coming up and everyone was exhausted. We were playing North Lake High, our biggest rival, in the State Championships. Since Ice Hockey is the only sport that made the State Championships this year at my school, South Academy, everyone was coming to the game.

I walked into the locker room and sat down on the wooden bench where I had put my bag before I pulled my skates of my sore feet. I took off my pads, leaving me in just my under armor shirt and pants. I pulled some sweat pants on over the skin tight pants before carefully placing everything in my bag. I usually take a long time and was the last one to leave the locker room. I pulled on my jacket before slinging my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my hockey stick. I brushed some of my blonde hair out of my eyes and pushed my glasses further up on my nose as my blue eyes scoured the room to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.

When I got near the door of the locker room, I could hear classical music playing. I walked out a bit confused until I saw a man on the ice. He had chin length blonde hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail. He had a pale complexion that brought out his bright blue eyes that sparkled every time he landed a Triple Lutz. I recognized him from somewhere, but I couldn't pick it out.

There was also a man sitting on the wall where the hockey bench was. He had short blonde hair, shocking green eyes, and the biggest eyebrows I have ever seen. He would bark commands at the skater in a thick British accent, telling him to fix this and that. I figured he was probably the coach.

When the skater glided by the wall I was by, he gave me a wink. I felt my face turn red hot as I turned and quickly went into the lobby of the sports center the ice rink was at. As I turned to exit through the main doors, someone caught my shoulder. I turned around to find my older brother, Alfred. He was fairly tall with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses.

"Hey bro!" he said obnoxiously loud.

"Hey there Alfred. Why are you here?" I asked.

Alfred never usually picked me up from hockey practice when he was home from college.

"I came to pick you up of course!" he replied.

"Alfred, come on. You don't pick me up from hockey. Why are you really here?"

Alfred turned red before saying "You remember that guy, Arthur, I was telling you about."

"Oh, the mysterious boyfriend Mom and Dad don't know about."

"Yeah, him. Well he works here! He's a figure skating coach in his free time so I figured I'd drop by and watch who he's coaching. This means, you have to watch too."

I rolled my eyes but didn't protest. I kinda wanted to meet this guy Alfred has just fallen head over heels for, which doesn't happen on a regular basis. Alfred started walking towards the ice rink and then I realized, I was going to have to watch _him _again. I could feel a blush coming on. I did not want to go back in there. However, when Alfred turned around and gave me a questioning look, I couldn't just say no. I had to go. I took a deep breath and kept my eyes on the ground, hoping to be invisible like I usually was, except on the hockey rink. I practically take on a different personality there. Alfred walked into the stands and plopped down on the bleachers. I dropped my stuff and sat down next to him, still keeping my gaze on the ground. At one point I felt okay to look up and I slowly lifted my eyes. His routine was coming to a close and was spinning quickly while holding his leg in a scorpion. He came out of the turn and struck his final pose, eyes landing on me. He smirked and I quickly looked back to the ground, feeling my face turn red once again.

"Alright, that's it for today." Arthur said, exhausted.

The skater skated off the ice and began taking off his skates. Alfred stood up and waved at Arthur.

"Alfred what are you doing here?" Arthur asked, raising one of his gigantic eyebrows as he skated over to the bleachers.

"I wanted to see you, that's why." Alfred said, smiling.

Arthur let out a sigh of annoyance, but I caught him smiling a small smile. Alfred bounced down the bleacher steps and towards the door Arthur was coming through to get off the ice. Alfred and Arthur started talking while I sat on the bleachers alone. Or so I thought. I gasped in surprise as I felt a hand on my back. Soon the skater I was watching before was sitting next to me.

"Hello." He said in a French accent.

I scooted away.

"Hello?"

I scooted away some more. I could feel my face practically in flames right now, and I had no idea why.

"I'm Francis." He said, holding out the hand that had previously been on my back for a handshake.

I took it cautiously and said "I'm Matthew."

"So you play hockey?" Francis asked.

I snapped my head up and said "Yeah!"

"That's pretty sweet. You play for your high school?"

"Yep!"

"Which school?"

"South Academy."

"No way. I go there."

"Cool!"

No wonder he looked so familiar. He goes to my school.

"Mattie! Arthur and I are going out. Walk home." Alfred said.

"Alfred, you meanie!" I complained, but my brother ignored me. I should have known better than to stay. He usually does just leave me to walk home. I groaned and picked up my stuff. It's not like the walk was long, it was actually pretty short, but I just wasted so much time to not even get a ride.

"Hey Matthew, you want a ride?" Francis asked.

"It's fine, I can walk." I replied.

"Come on. Do you really want to walk?"

Hell no I didn't, but was this guy really safe.

"It won't be any trouble." Francis assured me.

"Fine." I said, still thinking this was a bad idea.

Francis clapped his hands and got up. I followed him into the parking lot where a BMW five series convertible sat.

"Nice car." I said.

"You like it? My friend pulled a few strings with his brother and I got it on discount." Francis replied as he unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat.

I opened the passenger side door and climbed in the car, throwing my hockey stuff in the back seat. As we pulled out, Francis asked "So you're what, a Junior or a Senior?"

"Sophomore." I said quietly.

"What? And you're on the Varsity Hockey team?"

"Yeah. Been on it since Freshman year."

"Whoa! You must be pretty good."

"I guess. What about you? Junior or Senior?" I asked.

"Junior!" he replied.

Well I guess I felt better knowing he was only one year older than me.

"And a figure skater?" I continued.

"Yep! Getting ready for Nationals!" he said.

"You must be pretty good too."

"Yeah, you could say that."

I smiled a little bit. This guy was very self-confident, not to mention pretty touchy feely. All of a sudden, he tossed me his phone. I looked at it in confusion as it laid there in my lap.

"Can you put your number in?" he asked.

I nodded and inputted my number into his phone.

When we arrived at my house I thanked him, grabbed my stuff, and ran inside. I dropped my bag on the floor and wandered into the unlit kitchen. It seemed that no one was home. I pulled out the leftover waffles I had made the other day and warmed them up in the microwave. I pulled out the maple syrup while the waffles were in the microwave. When they were done I pulled them out and drizzled the thick liquid over them, taking in the sweet scent that had filled the air. I took a bite of the fluffy waffle and savored the sweet taste of the syrup. It wasn't long before I had finished the waffles and was on the way upstairs for a shower.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I saw that I had a text message from a number not in my contacts. I opened it and it read: _Hey Matthew! It's Francis._ I felt my face turn red as I looked at the text, surprised that he even bothered to talk to me. I responded with a simple "hey," completely forgetting about my shower as I walked over to my room and lay down on my bed. We talked about this and that, just small talk until Francis asked me if I wanted to go skating tomorrow. I sat there for a second, completely stunned. I was shocked that he would want to go skating with me of all people, but then that little voice in my head telling me to say yes snapped me out of my trance. I typed "yes" and sent the text.

…

"Mom, I'm leaving!" I yelled, opening the front door.

"Okay sweetheart! Have fun." She replied from the kitchen.

I walked out of the house, pretty proud of the outfit I had managed to throw together, considering fashion isn't really my forte. I was wearing blue jeans with red short sleeved shirt and a black hoodie. My ice skates were slung over my shoulder. I shivered as I began to walk down my driveway. I was beginning to regret not wearing a heavier jacket, but it is what it is. Just as I reached the end of my driveway, a BMW five series convertible pulled up. The window rolled down revealing Francis with hair down and sporting some pretty expensive shades.

"I had a feeling you were going to walk." He said.

I smiled as he gestured for me to get in the car. I got into the passenger side and Francis started driving towards the ice rink. Francis was wearing blue jeans and a purple button up shirt.

We arrived at the ice rink a little early for the free skate, so we were the first on the freshly cleaned ice. I glided smoothly across the ice as my blade but into it. I started going faster, and Francis had to really work to keep up with me. I turned around and skated backwards so I could see Francis.

"How do you skate so fast?" Francis asked.

"I don't know. I just do." I replied.

I guess figure skaters don't need to skate as fast as hockey players do. I turned back around and slowed down so Francis could catch up.

"So I heard you're playing North Lake for State's." he said.

"We are!" I replied.

"Well, you better kick their as-"

Francis was interrupted by a kid yelling "Watch out!" just as he slammed into my back. I started falling, but managed to catch myself and keep from falling on the kid. I rolled to the side and helped the kid up.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, sorry mister." He replied.

"No problem." I said.

The kid skated off and Francis came up behind me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm used to taking far more harder hits." I replied.

He sighed in relief as he took my hand and we continued to skate. I felt my face turn red at the contact, but I intertwined our fingers none the less. I pushed my glasses up with my free hand, a nervous habit of mine.

The rest of the free skate went by in a blur. Before I knew it, it was time to leave and I was pretty disappointed. I actually liked skating with Francis, and didn't want it to end.

We took off our skates and walked out to Francis's car. As we were pulling out, Francis asked "So, did you have fun?"

I nodded my head. Francis smiled and said "Good." It was around six o'clock by the time Francis pulled up to my drive way, and it was almost dark out.

"Thanks Francis." I said as I started to open the car door. However, before I could Francis grabbed my wrist and pulled me so I faced him. Without any hesitation, he lightly pressed his lips to mine for a split second. When we pulled away, he whispered "Goodnight Matthew."

"G-goodnight." I replied, my face red and hot.

I stepped out of the car and walked into my house. I was about to close the door when that little voice in my head gave me an idea. I opened the door again and waved to Francis, who was pulling out of the driveway. He smiled and waved back before driving out of sight. I closed the door and turned around, coming face to face with my brother. I gasped in surprise.

"Gosh Alfred you really scared me." I said clutching my chest.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I do."

"Doubtful."

I attempted to walk away from my brother but he just followed me up the stairs closely.

"Come on. I told you about Arthur." Alfred said.

"And then ditched me for him." I replied.

Alfred backed down after that. Sometimes I say things like that to my brother and feel guilty about it afterward. Alfred just goes over the line on occasion…okay, he does it a lot.

I went into my room and closed the door, making sure to lock it. I lay down on my bed, thinking about the events of the day. The skating, the hand holding, but mostly the kiss. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I felt alive when it happened, like there was a spark, but I have no idea what that means. I decided to give up on trying to decipher my weird feelings and get ready for bed. However, as I did so, Francis kept returning to mind.

…

I starred at the crowded lunch room, craning my neck to see if there was an empty spot anywhere. I found a whole empty table in the corner. This must be my lucky day if I could find a table for myself. Although, no one notices me anyways when I sit at their tables so I don't see the difference. I put my lunch down on the table and pulled out the waffles my mom packed. They weren't as good cold, but she did put peanut butter on them which made it a little better.

All of a sudden, someone started calling my name. I looked up to see Francis coming over with two other guys. One was extremely tan with dark brown hair and green eyes. The other was albino, his features pale and devoid of color except for his piercing red eyes.

I smiled at Francis as he walked over to the lunch table.

"Mind if we sit with you?" Francis asked.

"Go ahead." I replied.

"So Matthew, this is Antonio," Francis gestured to the tan guy, "and this is Gilbert." Francis gestured to the albino guy.

"I'm Matthew." I said to the both of them.

"Hola amigo! Nice to meet you." Antonio said.

"You look alright, but definitely not as awesome as I am." Gilbert said.

I started eating my waffles again as Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert started talking about something that didn't interest me. I would nod and pretend I was listening, but not really actually listen. In reality, I was kind of shy around these people and didn't want to do any talking.

"What about you Matthew?" Antonio asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you play any sports?" Gilbert asked.

"Yeah. I play Ice Hockey." I replied.

"No way? Who would have thought someone as quite as you would play hockey." Gilbert said.

"Yeah, and he's on Varsity even though he's only a sophomore!" Francis said.

I turned red when he said that, not expecting the extra attention.

"Wow! You must be really good!" Antonio exclaimed.

I just nodded my head and tried to return to my lunch, but the two wouldn't stop asking me questions. I answered them, slightly shocked they actually cared. However, the barrage of questions stopped when my name was said over the microphone. I could see my brother standing with the lady that operates the mic, and I inwardly groaned. Why did he have to disturb me at school?

"What do you want?" I asked as I approached him.

"Whoa. Easy I just brought this. Looked important." He said.

It was my AP Government homework that I must have left at the house.

"Oh. Thank you Alfred." I said, taking the paper.

Just as I was about to go, Alfred stopped me.

"How did you get to sit with them?" Alfred asked.

"Who?" I replied.

"The Bad Touch Trio."

"I didn't know they had a name."

"That's not the point. They are some of the most popular people at this school. Why are you sitting with them?"

"They sat with me. They're my friends." I replied.

"How?" Alfred asked.

When I didn't reply and just looked at the ground, Alfred caught on.

"I see. It was Francis right? He was the mystery date." Alfred said.

"How did you-"

"Look, he was skating when we went to see Arthur and now the Bad Touch Trio is sitting with you. It all kind of goes together."

I let a deep breath. So much for secrecy.

"Just watch out. Francis has a habit of dating anyone he sees, no matter if he's in a relationship or not. You guys aren't are you?" Alfred said.

"No." I replied.

"Then be extra careful. He'll date the next pretty person he sees and I don't want to be the one picking up the pieces of your broken heart."

"Thanks, real brotherly." I said.

"Just doing my job." Alfred said before leaving.

I turned and went back to the table.

"What was that about?" Gilbert asked.

"I forgot some homework. My brother brought it for me." I replied.

All of a sudden I wasn't hungry, and put my remaining food back in my bag. Is what Alfred said about Francis true? Am I just being played? I didn't know anymore.

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang and I quickly got up from my seat. Before I could get far though, Francis grabbed my wrist.

"Matthew, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said.

"Well, can you meet me in the courtyard this afternoon?"

"Sure."

Francis let go of my wrist and I bolted for my AP Government class. I had never been so happy to be there before.

…

When the day finally ended, I felt like my insides had been eaten out by all of the nerves I was gathering. I wanted to see Francis, but at the same time I was apprehensive. I didn't want what Alfred said about Francis to be true, but I couldn't help but dread that it was.

I walked to the other side of the school where the courtyard was located. I entered the courtyard and took a deep breath of the brisk mid-winter air. The courtyard was full of benches, trees, and shrubbery. The Environmental Science club had a garden growing in the center of it all, giving it a homey feeling. It was actually like the schools own little mini park. I walked along one of the pathways until I heard voices. As I got closer I could see it was Francis and another girl. I hid behind a tree and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Come on Francis, what are you afraid of?" The girl asked seductively.

"Look, Crystal-"

The girl, Crystal, put a finger on Francis's lips, silencing him as she moved as close as possible to him.

"No words. Speak with your actions." She whispered in his ear.

She gave him a peck on the lips as her hands trailed towards his butt. My heart dropped and by now my eyes were stinging with tears that were threatening to spill over at any second. I decided that it was probably a good time to leave, before I started crying right in the middle of school. As I turned to leave, I accidentally stepped on a stick.

"What was that?" the girl asked.

"If you would get off me that would be great." Francis said.

I could hear footsteps getting closer and I decided it was high time to get the hell out of there. However, I didn't get out fast enough. Francis turned the corner and stopped me by grabbing my arm. I turned towards him, tears silently streaking down my face now.

"Matthew." He said as he slowly let go of my arm.

I took that opportunity to run. I could hear Francis calling after me, but I tuned him out. I wasn't willing to listen to him. Alfred was right; I should have stayed away from him.

…

Shot after shot, drill after drill, I pushed myself as hard as possible. I needed a way to drown out the events of the previous day. Plus, State's were tomorrow and I needed to be on my game.

After practice, one of my teammates, Ivan, came up to me. In actuality, Ivan scared the absolute living shit out of me. Six and a half feet of Russian is pretty intimidating, but today I was beyond the point of caring.

"Matthew?" Ivan asked

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Are you okay? You seem off."

"I'm fine." I snaped.

Everyone in the locker room grew quiet. Everyone knew I never acted that way

unless I was on the ice, so I practically disproved my own statement. But then again, I was beyond the point of caring. I even had Ivan backing off a little bit. I went back to putting my stuff away, and my teammates didn't start talking again until they had reached the parking lot. I grabbed my stuff and was the last out of the locker room again. I kept my eyes on the ground until I ran into something a fell backwards. That something turned out to be a someone named Francis. As I looked up at him, I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. I tried to get up and run again, but Francis grabbed me before I could get far.

"Matthew." He said.

"What?" I replied snarkily.

"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"Fine. You have one minuet."

"Okay. Look, this girl has been trying to get in my pants for three years now. I don't even like her but she still tries. I would have never _done _it with her ever. I love you too much. I'll prove to you my love at State Championships tomorrow, so just give me a chance. I love you, I really do."

I nodded and he let me go.

…

We're halfway through the third period, and down one to zero. Both teams were scoreless until the beginning of the third period when North Lake got a break away and scored.

"Matthew, get in there for Ivan and get me a goal." The coach said.

I nodded and called Ivan off, taking the ice once again. Okay, this was my time. One minuet left. We're on the offense. North Lake left the center open. Bad move. I cut in behind my man and called for it. The puck was passed and I had it. I cut left, and then slipped it into the top shelf. I scored! The crowd cheered so loud you could see the stands vibrating. My teammates practically tackled me after I scored. I could see Francis in the stands cheering, but he still hadn't proved anything to me.

We set up for the draw and the buzzer sounded soon after. We were going into sudden death overtime. It ended up being uneventful, and in a shootout.

First up was North Lake: Goal.

Then us: Miss

North Lake: Miss

South Academy: Goal

North Lake: Miss.

"Matthew, take this one and put it away." The coach said.

I took a deep breath as I skated onto the ice. Then Francis stood up with Antonio and Gilbert. They held up signs that said "Go Matthew!" Then Francis started talking as I was lining up.

"Matthew, you can do this. I believe in you, and I love you." He said.

I smiled slightly as Antonio and Gilbert got the crowd to start cheering my name. I drowned it all out as I started skating, my focus on the puck. When I got close, I cut right, then left, the right again and a backhand through the goalies legs and into the goal. The crowd went ballistic as my teammates ran onto the ice and this time really did tackle me. I smiled and laughed. I had scored the winning goal! I felt happiness flood over me as we lined up and shook hands with the other team. As we were escorted to the locker room, the crowd was still cheering and some were literally hanging over the edge of the bleachers. Once we were in the locker room, the coach tried to give a speech, but couldn't get a word in through our cheering and just gave up. Everyone patted me on the back on their way out as I slowly packed up my things, as usual.

When I got out, no one was by the rink except Francis. When I saw him I dropped my stuff and ran up to him, wrapping him in a hug.

"I'm sorry." I whispered,

He wrapped his arms around me and said "What for? It was my fault."

I hugged him tighter, taking in the sweet scent of his cologne.

"Now, everyone is waiting for you, and I have something special planned for tonight." Francis said, giving me a wink. I picked my stuff back up and walked into the lobby, blasted by the cheers of the crowd. For the first time, I wasn't invisible, and it felt kind of nice.

Once I reached the parking lot and found my parents and brother waiting for me. I smiled as I walked up to them. My mom gave me a huge bone crushing hug. My dad, a handshake, and my brother, a McDonald's meal.

"Guess he's not that bad." Alfred said.

"Guess not." I replied.

I looked back and saw Francis. He looked at me with a "tell them" expression.

"Oh yeah, who is that boy again?" my mother asked.

"He's my boyfriend." I said quietly.

My mother smiled. She gave me another hug and kissed my forehead.

"My little boy is growing up." She said.

"Oh, by the way, we were planning on doing something tonight. Is that okay?" I asked.

My mom nodded.

"Keep it classy!" Alfred said as I turned to leave.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yeah Mom! Alfred needs to tell you something!" I called back.

"Matthew!" Alfred yelled as my parents began inquiring him about this issue.

"So what's the plan?" I asked when I reached Francis.

"Well that part is a surprise." Francis said.

…

"Francis, I don't understand why I have to wear this." I said as I stepped out of the bathroom wearing a suit and a red bow tie. Francis was no where to be seen. I sighed and sat on his bed. Francis had taken me to his house, and I had met his parents before they went out to a movie together. They were both nice people who looked like their son in almost every way possible. They were surprised to see that I was the one there son brought home for dinner, but later explained that it was because I looked so stable. Clearly the rumors about Francis are true, but I think I can get over what he's done in the past.

Suddenly, a piece of paper on the ground caught my eye. I picked it up and unfolded it. On it was a hand written note from Francis.

_My dear Matthew_

_Follow the Rose petals_

_-Francis_

I sighed and opened the door. Sure enough there was a trail of rose petals. I followed them until I entered the dining room to find a candle lit table set for two, but still no Francis. I was taken by surprise when I felt two strong arms around me, but I quickly leaned back into the embrace.

"I love you." Francis whispered.

"I love you too." I replied.

Francis spun me around and leaned in slowly until our lips met. We lingered there for a couple second before we moved away. This kiss was different from the first. This one showed that he truly loved me. And I truly loved him. 


End file.
